Machine for cutting bread.



J. S. HODGES.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BREAD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5'. 1917.

n u U n n n u n W Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

E'wumtow TO'HN 5. Honqse JOHN s.

noncns,

IDAHO.

or KUNA,

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BREAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1917.

Application filed February 5, 1917. Serial No. 146,789.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. Honens, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kuna, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Bread, of which the following is a specification, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to machines for cutting bread and particularly to a machine of this character in which a plurality of knives are used for cutting a plurality of slices of bread at one time.

The general object of this invention is to provide a machine of this character wherein the knife or knives are given a draw cut through the loaf of bread.

A further general object of the invention is the provision of a construction of this character wherein the loaf is securely held while the knives are cutting through it, and a further object is to provide a construction of this character wherein the simple rotation of a crank will cause the knives to rotate and, at the same time, draw through the bread, thus slicing it.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangement of the various parts, as will appear hereafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved bread cutting mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section showing in dotted lines the knives in their lowered positions;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation showing the manner in which the wall 17 is pivotally connected to the side members 10; and

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the shaft 24.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that my device comprises two side pieces 10 which are vertically disposed, each of these side pieces having a horizontal seat 11 for a transverse loaf-supporting plat form 12 and that each side piece is also provided with the downwardly extending slot 13, the upper end of which extends beneath the rear end of the board 12, shown more clearly in Fig. 2. Disposed on each of the members 10 on the inside face of each of these members and parallel to the corresponding slot 13, is a rack 14 having rack teeth.

The platform 1.2 or bread. board has a plurality of slots 15 extending parallel to the side supports 10, these slots opening upon the rear edge of the platform 12. Mounted upon the forward edge face of the supporting members 10 are the brackets 16 and mounted to rest in a horizontal position upon these brackets or disposed in a vertical position upon the platform 12 is. a loaf clamping member 17 which is provided with a plurality of vertical grooves or scores 18 coinciding with the number of slots 15 in the platform 12. The clamping board 17 at its ends is formed with downwardly extend.- lng ears 19, which are longitudinally slotted, as at 20, for the reception of pivot pins 21. By this construction the clamping board may be disposed either in a vertical position upon the platform 12 or in a horizontal position upon the brackets 16. Extending parallel to the clamping member 17 is a vertical member 22 which is likewise vertically slotted, as at 23, these slots coinciding with the slots 15 of the platform 11.

Extending across the s ice between the members 10, is a shaft 24. This shaft, at its ends, is rounded as at 25, so as to rest in and have rotating engagement with the walls of the slots 13. The body of the shaft is square and mounted upon opposite. ends of the shaft are the gearwheels 26 adapted to mesh with the rack teeth of the rack 14.

Also mounted upon the square portion of the shaft are a plurality of knives 2.7. These knives may be in the form of curved blades having sinusoidal edges or may be in the form of circular cutting wheels or may have any other suitable form. Mounted upon the end of the shaft 24, is a crank 28, whereby the shaft may be rotated.

The operation of this invention is as follows The loaf of bread is disposed between the members 17 and 22 and held firmly in position between these members. Previous to this, however, the shaft 25 has been rotated, through its crank 28 so as to carry the shaft to the upper end of the slots 13 so that the knives will be vertical. Now, after the bread has been inserted in place upon the platform 12 and held by the member 17, a reverse rotation is given to the shaft which will cause the knives to move downward in the path illustrated in dotted lines and, at the same time, move downward and outward by reason of the engagement of the gear "wheels 20 with the racks 14. Thus a draw cut will be given to the knives through the bread and the bread may be'readily sliced. It is obvious that the number of knives may be readily changed on the shaft 2 k so that the bread may be sliced into thicker or thinner slices, as desired. After the bread has been sliced, the shaft 24 rolls to the bottom of the slot 13 and remains there out of the way until the bread cutting device is again to be operated. It will be seen that one action of the bread cutter will slice a full loaf of bread into as many pieces as required and that the work is very expeditiously and efiectively done.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A bread cuttin machine including a slotted supporting platform, a knife shaft, cutting knives mounted upon the shaft to rotate therewith and moving through the slots of the platform, guides in which the knife shaft moves, said guides extending away from the supporting platform, means for rotating the shaft, and means for coincidently causing a movement of the shaft away from the platform, including a gear wheel on the shaft and a rack with which said gear wheel meshes.

2. A bread cutting device of the character described comprising supporting side mem bers, -a bread cutting platform mounted thereon, and formed with a plurality of transversely extending slots, side pieces mounted upon the platform, one of said side pieces being slotted, the first named supporting members being also formed with guide slots extending downward and away from the platform, a shaft having its ends disposed in and guided by said guide slots, knives carried on the shaft and disposed to pass through the slots of the platform and side pieces, means for causing a rotation of said shaft and a positive movement of the shaft along said guide slots of the supporting members as the shaft is rotated, said means including racks disposed parallel to the guide slots of the supporting members, and gear wheels on the shaft engaging said racks.

3. A bread cutting device of the character described, comprising supporting members, a bread supporting platform mounted upon said supporting members, the supporting members extending beyond the bread sup porting platform, and the supportingplatform being transversely slotted, the rojecting portions of the supporting mem ers be ing formed with downwardly and outwardly inclined guide slots, racks mounted upon the side faces of said supporting members parallel to the guide slots, a fixed vertical wall mounted upon the platform and having slots coinciding with the slots of the platform, a clamping wall opposed to the first named vertical wall and hinged to the platform for movement in a horizontal or a vertical position, a'shaft slidingly and retatably mounted in the guide slots of the supporting members and having gear wheels engaging said racks, a crank on said shaft whereby it maybe rotated and bread cutting knives mounted upon the shaft and rotatable through said slots of the vertical wall and platform, as the shaft is rotated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. JOHN S. HODGES.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. MILLER, A. J. GRossour.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

